FFXII's Balthier raids Final Fantasy Tactics!

Want to recruit the dashing sky pirate into your army in The War of the Lions? We'll tell you how

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is only a few weeks away, and unlike some PSP remakes, this one packs in plenty of surprises for those who played the original on PSone. One of these is Balthier, the gun-wielding sky pirate from Final Fantasy XII, who's just waiting for you to find him and add his dashing wiles to your ranks. You'll need to ferret him out first, naturally enough, and that takes a little footwork on your part. Luckily, we can tell you exactly how to track him down.

Once you've made it to Chapter 4 of War of the Lions, you'll want to head over to The Mining Town of Gollund, where you'll hit the tavern and read a rumor called "Rash of Thefts." Once you've done that, head over to The Merchant City of Dorter, go into its tavern and check out the rumor called "A Call for Guards." The only thing you need to do after that is leave town, at which point you'll be attacked. Fortunately, Balthier has noticed all your astute rumor-reading, and he'll spring into action to help you out. Win the fight, and he's yours.

That little tip is just a taste of what we'll have in store for Tactics fans next week, when we'll open the floodgates on War of the Lions with character bios you won't find anywhere else, an interview with the game's co-producer Shingo Kosuge and a contest that'll reward sharp-eyed readers with some extremely desirable Final Fantasy Tactics swag. Be here on Monday to get in on it all.